Recently, I had the incredible opportunity to take a once in a lifetime trip to the Galapagos Islands. This experience lasted more than just twelve days on the islands. It began during the spring semester, where we met weekly at the NC Museum of Natural Sciences. This class laid the foundation for our trip by introducing the islands geologic, geographic, and political setting of the Galapagos islands, where our focus was to be able to describe and explain these topics. We explored how Charles Darwin’s visit to the Galapagos shaped his theory of evolution, identified main human-induced threats to the islands, and discussed conservation measures taken to protect the islands and the effectiveness of their World Heritage Site. 

For my major, I am required to complete a summer field experience. Rather than attending our traditional summer camp, I searched for an experience that aligned with my academic goals, counted towards my degree, and allowed me to explore. Participating in a study abroad has been on my bucket list for a while and the Galapagos aligned with my search criteria. There is such rich history and scientific significance that occurred from these islands and I wanted to experience firsthand the place where Charles Darwin discovered the theory of evolution. As a Fisheries, Wildlife, Conservation Biology major, I especially wanted to witness unique flora and fauna that I would not encounter in North Carolina or anywhere else in the world. 

As soon as the semester concluded, I set off on my journey. My goals for this educational experience were to improve my ability to identify and understand flora and fauna I notice on the islands and learn more about the unique environments I will encounter on each island I visit. Personally and professionally, I wanted to be able to diversify my knowledge and perspectives on conservation by talking to locals about how tourism and climate change has affected their

home and what initiatives are being pursued. Additionally, I wanted to step outside of my comfort zone by trying new cuisines. My overarching goal was to learn more about my passions. This trip was for me to explore my interests and get an idea of what I want to do within my field of study. 

I am proud to say that I achieved all my goals in some sort of fashion. By utilizing the app Seek and our naturalist guides I was able to identify many unique species, especially birds and reptiles. For every species we saw the naturalist guides would share all their knowledge. Whether it was identification, feeding habits, habitat, breeding, or fun facts, I was able to learn in depth about the species and environments of the Galapagos Islands. At Universidad San Francisco de Quito, I learned about innovative sustainability tools, such as smart waste sorting kiosks that educate users about their impact and help users dispose of waste correctly. I achieved cuisine exploration by trying out the restaurants recommended by our guides and trying foods with items I would typically avoid. I ended up discovering that I like more foods than I thought and that I just have to try new things every once in a while. Professionally, the experience reaffirmed my passion for wildlife conservation, even though I didn’t narrow down my path to one single career. Instead, it did open my eyes to the global scale of conservation work and the diverse range of roles available. There is so much possibility within this field, this I saw from visiting the giant tortoise breeding centers on every island and the amount of research being done to protect them. Since I want to make a global impact, I have to utilize and capitalize on educational opportunities such as this one to push me forward. 

Throughout the experience, I had both responsibilities and challenges. Academically, I was responsible for completing assigned readings, one major group project that started in class and continued throughout the study abroad trip, and completing our travel journal. My group

project focused on the geology of Galapagos volcanoes. We researched four volcanoes and visited two in person, where we included our own photos and observations in our project. Hiking across ancient lava flows and summiting Sierra Negra Volcano gave me a deeper appreciation for geology, even though that is not a focus within my major. Additionally, excursions like visiting the historic district in Ecuador were impactful because it allowed me to learn more about the country’s culture and rich history that I was visiting. Visiting the giant tortoise breeding centers was incredible because I was able to learn about their conservation efforts, methods, and how they control the breeding of these species on different islands. Through snorkeling, I was able to see Galapagos marine life and learn more about them through our guides, who played a significant role in learning about Galapagos flora and fauna. Through their tips and tricks I am now able to tell when flowers are native or invasive, identify many types of Galapagos birds and whether they are a male, female, and even juvenile. Talking to the guides really enriched my experience because they are also locals. I was able to learn more about island culture and connect personally to some guides I saw multiple times throughout the trip. 

My study abroad trip was extremely successful. I received every experience I hoped to get during this trip. Among my greatest accomplishments was seeing every bucket list species I had hoped for: blue-footed boobies, Galapagos penguins, marine iguanas, land iguanas, hammerhead sharks, green sea turtles, giant tortoises, lava lizards, Galapagos finches, and mockingbirds. I felt very accomplished when I could identify a species again after seeing it once and being able to determine their sex. My other accomplishments were completing my group project and adding my own experiences to it and filling out my travel journal. Each day I would complete a drawing of an experience or a species I saw, along with annotating the drawing, helping me vividly capture the details of what I saw and learned.

There were a few challenges I faced while studying abroad, but fortunately I had no failures. One of the most daunting challenges I faced was snorkeling for the first time. I don’t consider myself a strong swimmer, so I was nervous about my ability to snorkel for a lengthy amount of time. However, I faced my fears and realized with the flippers I was able to have more buoyancy and float, taking away my worries about swimming. The next challenge I was excited for, but a little worried to complete was our hike up Sierra Negra Volcano. The hike was long, but I wasn’t sure how strenuous it would be. Fortunately, the weather was perfect for this hike and I completed the hike up and back with much ease. I still feel really accomplished and proud of myself for exceeding my own expectations, but I knew that it would be a good experience regardless since I enjoy hiking and being out in nature. 

Aside from the challenges, I did learn a few things about myself. I learned that I am capable of accomplishing much more than I think I can, all I need to do is give myself a push forward to try something new. I also learned that from all the five taxas that I have a deep appreciation and interest in reptiles, when I previously claimed mammals are my favorite. But Galapagos offers few native mammals, most are invasive species such as rats. Because I immersed myself in studying reptiles I was able to learn so much about their biology, behavior, diet, and much more. I also realized I have a lot more hands-on experience with reptiles than I previously recognized. 

Ultimately, this study abroad experience deepened my understanding and love for conservation and showed me the value of global learning. It reinforced the dream of making a global impact within my career. I now feel more confident in my ability to learn about other subjects outside my major and challenge myself in unfamiliar environments. This experience

will help guide me in future decisions, whether that is applying for internships, graduate school, or jobs that push me to keep learning and growing.